US 'planned to blow up the Moon'
The US planned to blow up the moon with a nuclear bomb during the Cold War as a show of strength, according to reports.

American military chiefs allegedly devised the secret project, named 'A Study of Lunar Research Flights' – or 'Project A119' – in the hope that the Soviet Union would be intimidated by viewing the nuclear flash from Earth.
It would give the US a much needed morale boost after the Russians successfully launched Sputnik in 1957, according to physicist Leonard Reiffel, who was involved in the project.
According to the report in The Sun, the US would have used an atom bomb, because a hydrogen bomb would have been too heavy. The planning reportedly included calculations by astronomer Carl Sagan, who was then a young graduate.
Military officials however reportedly abandoned the idea, which would have taken place in 1959, because of fears that it would have an adverse effect on Earth should the explosion fail.
The project documents were kept secret for nearly 45 years, and the US government has never formally confirmed its involvement in the study.

So do we have anything besides this rag that can cogently argue this was a serious policy as opposed to idiots being idiots?

Hey let's not let the truth get in the way of a good story

A history teacher told me today that Reagan or Nixon was off his face half the time on pain killers and used to ring up random USAF bases in the middle of the night and order them to bomb China. No wonder the moon eventually became a target

Tbh it makes quite good sense I think, if the Russians were observing the moon and saw a large flash it would make up for the Sputnik technology gap and also be an example of nuclear technology and the ability to reach far off targets.

Might make for a few questions from amateur astronomers though, no doubt NASA would say it was an asteroid impact.

Tbh it makes quite good sense I think, if the Russians were observing the moon and saw a large flash it would make up for the Sputnik technology gap and also be an example of nuclear technology and the ability to reach far off targets.

Might make for a few questions from amateur astronomers though, no doubt NASA would say it was an asteroid impact.